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Nell Benjamin
Nell Benjamin is a lyricist, writer, and composer noted for her work in musical theatre. With her husband and frequent collaborator Laurence O'Keefe, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for writing ''Legally Blonde'' in 2011. And in 2007, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score for ''Legally Blonde'', and then again in 2018 for her lyrics for ''Mean Girls''. Early life and education Benjamin grew up in New York City and attended Harvard University, where she met future husband Laurence O'Keefe. She earned a master's degree in women's studies from the University of Dublin. After graduating, she moved to Los Angeles and, with O'Keefe, worked as a writer for television and film. Theatre career Benjamin and O'Keefe collaborated on a number of original musicals which ran Off-Broadway, including ''The Mice'' (2000), an adaptation of ''Sarah, Plain and Tall'' (2002), and ''Cam Jansen And The Curse Of The Emerald Elephant'' (2004), based on the Cam Jansen myster ...
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Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and one of the most prestigious and highly ranked universities in the world. The university is composed of ten academic faculties plus Harvard Radcliffe Institute. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences offers study in a wide range of undergraduate and graduate academic disciplines, and other faculties offer only graduate degrees, including professional degrees. Harvard has three main campuses: the Cambridge campus centered on Harvard Yard; an adjoining campus immediately across Charles River in the Allston neighborhood of Boston; and the medical campus in Boston's Longwood Medical Area. Harvard's endowment is valued at $50.9 billion, making it the wealthiest academic institution in the world. Endow ...
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West End Theatre
West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1195, Along with New York City's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London. Famous screen actors, British and international alike, frequently appear on the London stage. There are a total of 39 theatres in the West End, with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, opened in May 1663, the oldest theatre in London. The Savoy Theatre – built as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan – was entirely lit by electricity in 1881. Opening in October 2022, @sohoplace is the first new West End theatre in 50 years. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announ ...
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Because Of Winn-Dixie
''Because of Winn-Dixie'' is a 2000 children's novel written by Kate DiCamillo. It was adapted as a 2005 family film directed by Wayne Wang, produced by Walden Media and Twentieth Century Fox, and starring AnnaSophia Robb as Opal Buloni.''Because of Winn-Dixie'' - IMDb
Retrieved 2015-08-22


Plot

A 10-year-old girl named India Opal Buloni has just moved to a trailer park in the small town of Naomi, Florida, with her father, who is known as The Preacher because he preaches at the local church. Her mother, Benjean-Megan, abandoned them when she was three. She describes the preacher as a , always sticking his head into his shell, and never wanting to come out into the real world. ...
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Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is located at a theater complex called the Mead Center for American Theater. The theater's Artistic Director is Molly Smith and the Executive Producer is Edgar Dobie. It is the largest company in the country dedicated to American plays and playwrights. Arena Stage commissions and develops new plays through its Power Plays initiative. The company now serves an annual audience of more than 300,000. Its productions have received numerous local and national awards, including the Tony Award for best regional theater and over 600 Helen Hayes Awards. History Founding, location, and theaters The theatre company was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1950 by Zelda and Thomas Fichandler and Edward Mangum. Its first home was the Hippodrome Theatre, a for ...
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Thomas Meehan (writer)
Thomas Edward Meehan (August 14, 1929 – August 21, 2017) was an American playwright. He wrote the books for the musicals '' Annie'', '' The Producers'', ''Hairspray'', ''Young Frankenstein'' and ''Cry-Baby''. He co-wrote the books for '' Elf: The Musical'' and '' Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin''. He received the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times—in 1977 for ''Annie'', in 2001 for ''The Producers'' (shared with Mel Brooks), and in 2003 for ''Hairspray'' (shared with Mark O'Donnell). Early life Meehan was born in Ossining, New York, but grew up in Suffern, New York. His father, Thomas, was a businessman, and his mother, Helen Cecilia O’Neill, was an emergency department nurse. He graduated from Hamilton College."Thomas Meehan bio"
cityfile.com, accessed March 12, 2011. according to this biography, Meehan ...
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Dave (film)
''Dave'' is a 1993 American political comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman, written by Gary Ross, and starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Laura Linney, Ving Rhames, Charles Grodin, and Ben Kingsley appear in supporting roles. Plot Dave Kovic runs a temporary employment agency in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. and impersonates President Bill Mitchell as a side job. Secret Service agent Duane Stevenson recruits him to impersonate Mitchell after a speech, ostensibly as a security precaution, but in reality to cover up Mitchell’s affair with a staffer. Dave’s appearance goes well, but Mitchell suffers a major stroke while having sex, leading White House Chief of Staff Bob Alexander and Communications Director Alan Reed to ask Dave to continue in his role. Bob’s scheme is to force Vice President Gary Nance, a good man, to resign after purposefully embroiling him in a savings and loan scandal, and then have Dave, acting as Mitchell, ...
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Dave (musical)
''Dave'' is a musical with music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and a book by Benjamin and Thomas Meehan. Based on the 1993 American political comedy film of the same name written by Gary Ross, the musical made its world premiere try-out at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in July 2018. The musical centers on Dave Kovic, a high school teacher (and presidential look-alike) who is hired by the Secret Service when the President falls ill. Background The musical is based on the 1993 film ''Dave''. The film itself starred Kevin Kline as Dave Kovic and President Bill Mitchell and Sigourney Weaver as First Lady Ellen Mitchell and featured a number of prominent actors in supporting roles including Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Ving Rhames, Charles Grodin, and Ben Kingsley. The film was produced on a budget of $28 million, earning $63.3 million The musical was first reported in November 2014 by '' Variety'' following a private industry reading held on October 31. In summer ...
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Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013) and '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' (2015–2020). Fey is also known for her work in film, including '' Mean Girls'' (2004), '' Baby Mama'' (2008), '' Date Night'' (2010), ''Megamind'' (2010), '' Muppets Most Wanted'' (2014), '' Sisters'' (2015), '' Whiskey Tango Foxtrot'' (2016), ''Wine Country'' (2019), and ''Soul'' (2020). Fey broke into comedy as a featured player in the Chicago-based improvisational comedy group The Second City. She joined ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') as a writer, later becoming head writer and a performer, appearing as co-anchor in the '' Weekend Update'' segment and, later, developing a satirical portrayal of 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in ...
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Jeff Richmond
Jeffrey Wayne Richmond (born January 7, 1961) is an American composer, actor, director, and producer. He composed the music for, and directed multiple episodes of ''30 Rock'', a sitcom created by and starring his wife, Tina Fey. He also executive produced and composed the music for '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'', another sitcom created by his wife. Richmond has won three Emmy awards for his production of the first three seasons of ''30 Rock''. He has also been nominated for an Emmy for his composition of ''30 Rock''s theme song. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2018 for ''Mean Girls''. Early life Richmond grew up in Portage County, Ohio, and graduated in 1979 from James A. Garfield High School in Garrettsville, where he won the John Philip Sousa award and where his mother still lives. He also played a key part in the creation of the Garrettsville Community Players, directing, choreographing, and lending his creative and artistic vision to many of i ...
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Mean Girls
''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried (in her film debut), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler and Fey. It is based in part on Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 non-fiction self-help book, '' Queen Bees and Wannabes'', which describes female high school social cliques, school bullying, and the damaging effects they can have on students. Fey also drew from her own experience at Upper Darby High School as an inspiration for some of the concepts in the film. The plot centers on a naïve teenage girl navigating her way through the social hierarchy of a modern American high school after years of her parents homeschooling her while conducting research in Africa. ''Saturday Night Live'' creator Lorne Michaels produced the film. Fey, screenwriter and co-star of the film, was a long-term cast member and writer for ''SNL''. Although set in the Chica ...
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Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspapers, digital and national publications, and other media beyond Broadway. The awards were first presented during the 1949–50 theater season, celebrating their 70th anniversary in 2020. David Gordon, Senior Features Reporter at TheaterMania.com, currently serves as president. History The Outer Critics Circle was founded as the Outer Circle during the Broadway season of 1949–50 by an assortment of theater critics led by John Gassner, a reviewer, essayist, dramaturg, and professor of theater. These critics were writing for academic publications, special interest journals, monthlies, quarterlies, and weekly publications outside the New York metro area, and were looking for a forum where they could discuss the theater in general, particula ...
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Farce
Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense; satire, parody, and mockery of real-life situations, people, events, and interactions; unlikely and humorous instances of miscommunication; ludicrous, improbable, and exaggerated characters; and broadly stylized performances. Genre Despite involving absurd situations and characters, the genre generally maintains at least a slight degree of realism and narrative continuity within the context of the irrational or ludicrous situations, often distinguishing it from completely absurdist or fantastical genres. Farces are often episodic or short in duration, often being set in one specific location where all events occur. Farces have historically been performed for the stage and film. Historical context The term ''farce'' is der ...
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